Course details
| Seminar Empirical Financial Economics | |
|---|---|
| Lecturer: | Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Drobetz |
| Assistant: | Stine Alexandra Bönte |
| Module: | MA-FBI11(G) |
| Course: | Seminar |
| Credit hours / week: | 2 |
| Credit points: | 6 |
| Course language: | English |
| Kick-off session: | August 20th, 2026 |
| Block seminar: | November 27th and 28th, 2026 |
| Examination: | Seminar paper, presentation and active participation in all events |
| Please note: | Attendance is mandatory for this seminar. If you must be absent for academic or professional reasons, please contact the teaching assistant in charge and provide appropriate documentation. In-person attendance is strongly recommended. |
Module Description
The seminar “Empirical Financial Economics” addresses selected empirical issues in the fields of corporate finance and capital markets, drawing on current publications and working papers in the respective fields. The objective of the seminar is to familiarize students with empirical research in the field of finance and to prepare them for the requirements of a master’s thesis at the Chair of Corporate Finance and Portfolio Management.
The seminar is divided into two phases. The first phase focuses on foundational training. Participants receive an introduction to academic research, the use of financial databases, and working with the statistical software STATA or Python. The second phase centers on each participant’s independent replication of a previously published empirical study as part of an academic paper (seminar paper). The key challenges involved are (i) developing the relevant economic theory, (ii) engaging intensively with the necessary econometric and statistical methods, and (iii) conducting the empirical analysis using the statistical software STATA or Python. Participants then present their own research findings during a block session, and these are discussed in a plenary session.
The language of instruction is English.
Course Registration
Registration for this seminar takes place via the University of Hamburg’s Student Information Network (STiNE). Please ensure you meet the specified deadlines. It is your responsibility to independently verify whether this course counts toward your degree program. If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact your designated academic office.
Course Materials
The materials for this course will be made available in STiNE.
STiNE Emails
You are required to check your STiNE inbox regularly. Important information about the course (e.g., schedule changes) will be sent via the course mailing list in STiNE. In addition, they will be published in the “News” tab on this page.
If you have questions...
As a rule, courses in the Finance specialization are supervised by a research assistant from the organizing professorship. If you have questions regarding course content, please contact the assistant listed above via email. If the course is not supervised by an assistant, you may contact the respective instructor directly via email.
| Date | Announcement |
| [June 4th, 2026] | The session starts on August 20th, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. (sharp). The relevant reading materials and documents for the event will be made available in STiNE on time. |
| # | Topic | Date | Room |
| 1. | Kick-off session (introduction to ccademic writing and assignment of topics) | Aug 20th, 2026 / 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Room 0029, Moorweidenstraße 18 |
| 2. | Introduction to working with financial databases, as well as an introduction to data management and data analysis using Stata | Aug 25th, 2026 / 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Room 0029, Moorweidenstraße 18 |
| 3. | Interim report and coding Q&A | Sept 9th, 2026, 6:00-9:30 p.m. | Room 0029, Moorweidenstraße 18 |
| 4. | Final report und last minute Q&A | Oct 6th, 2026, 6:00-9:30 p.m. | online / digital |
| 5. | Submission of seminar paper | Oct 30th, 2026, until 12:00 p.m. | by email / UHH Cloud |
| 6. | Block seminar (first part) | Nov 27th, 2026, 2:00-8:00 p.m. | Room 0029, Moorweidenstraße 18 |
| 8. | Block seminar (second part) | Nov 28th, 2026, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Room 0029, Moorweidenstraße 18 |
The exact date for the practical session will be determined later and announced separately. October 29th, 2026, is the tentative date.
If there are any scheduling conflicts with one of your other courses, please contact the teaching assistant in charge to find a solution that works for you. Classes begin on time (s.t.).
